Various apparatus for felling trees are well known. Examples include chain saws, rotary blades such as circular saws, and shear severing devices. Chain saws are subject to frequent failure because of the number of moving parts. Circular saws, while typically stronger and more robust, are also more bulky. In addition, both chain saws and circular saws run at high speeds, with the attendant hazard from flying chips and debris. Shear severing devices require enormous amounts of power and leverage to fell trees having a diameter of more than a mere few inches.
To overcome these deficiencies, the inventor devised a tree cutting apparatus which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,873. While the device of the '873 patent solved many problems, it required two blades acting simultaneously, with the accompanying mechanical structure for operating a pair of blades. The inventor herein then created a single blade tree cutting apparatus disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,993 which improved upon the device of the '873 patent. However, the single blade apparatus was not completely efficient, since it was necessary for the blade to complete a full cycle before the apparatus could be utilized to cut another tree. The apparatus of the present invention requires only a single blade, yet permits immediate cutting capability without having to wait for the blade to return to a "start" position.